Tomorrow’sDevelopers

Built at FIEA Today

GRE requirement for Fall 2020 (Due to Covid-19):
Applicants to master’s programs where a GRE score is required for admission can be admitted restricted without a score, pending they provide an acceptable score no later than the midterm of their first semester.

Since our creation in 2005, FIEA faculty have been training students for careers in the game industry (in expertise areas that include art, tech art, programming, production, design, etc.) and our students have the opportunity to collaborate with classmates to learn the different functions of the game industry.

FIEA is a place where productivity and ingenuity are applauded in equal measure. Being a part of FIEA means you’re motivated to make tomorrow’s great game or tell a story never told before.

Explore the following pages to learn more and see for yourself why our program has been in the top 5 nationally-ranked graduate game design programs for the past 10 years. Welcome to FIEA!

Which Specialization are you interested in?

Level Design Production/Design

Level design is where art, gameplay, and design all come together. As a level designer, students will build levels around mechanics and script their own encounters. In the later phases, students will set dress, polish, and optimize their levels to truly make them come to life. Students create levels ranging from first person shooters to Diablo-inspired maps.

Tech Design Production/Design

Technical Designers combine two pivotal skills: programming and game design. In the early Atari days the industry was dominated by solo developers responsible for all of the programming, design, and even artwork within their games. Tech Designers recapture that era of flexible talent by not only devising concepts, but also constructing them.

Project Management Production/Design

Project management is the art of organization and efficiency. Project management students learn the fundamental skills that allow them to use data and process in order to increase the team’s output without requiring them to work more hours. Through understanding leadership techniques, project managers elevate their teammates, making each member of the team better at their own job.

Modeling Art

3D Modeling in its simplest terms is digital sculpting in the computer. All of the tools that students will use are derived from the real world and follow principals that have worked for sculpture for thousands of years. Pushing, pulling and smoothing a surface produces three dimensional forms that range from simple to highly complex.

Tech Art Art

Artists who create art “technically” and do whatever it takes to deliver the art. By harnessing the powers of the computer, technical artists leverage their skills and the skills of others to produce art beyond what they could have produced otherwise, such as through procedural generation and pipeline efficiency.

Animation Art

Animators in film or games need a thorough understanding of the principles of animation to be successful. The FIEA Animation track offers an intensive study of the 12 Principles of Animation developed by the Walt Disney Studios in the 1930’s, and how they apply to modern film and game animation. Students will learn all the most up-to-date standards/ techniques on animation in games and learn by doing.

Programming Programming

In FIEA’s video game programming curriculum you learn programming by writing lots of code. Develop strong C++ skills and learn how to debug, code in optimal game design patterns, and create cross-platform code that works on any game system.

Capstone

Publish your own game with a team of 15-20 other students

Here at FIEA, our capstone is the creation of a full game over multiple semesters, where you will go through the entire development cycle: preproduction, production, alpha, beta. Many students decide to publish their capstone games through various avenues, such as Steam or Xbox, earning their first published title.

Upcoming Events

If you can only attend one conference this year, Serious Play will give you the best opportunity to learn about and keep current on the rapidly growing use of serious games and simulations in training and education.